272 - Part 6 ZEPHANIAH, CHAPTER 2

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The Following Message Has Been Transcribed ForClarity, Continuity Of Thought, And PunctuationBy The LEM Transcribing & Editing Team.

We are going on with Zephaniah 2. This morning we did verses 12 and half of 13.

Verse 12, “And Ham’s descendants shall be circumcised and crucified b-” -- excuse me, “by Christ also, and Jehovah will turn away Satan’s authority, and this world system shall vanish.” This world system, which is in the image of Satan, shall vanish.

Continuing with the second half of Zephaniah 2:13, “And Jehovah will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.”

The Hebrew word translated “will make” is Strong's 7760; it means “to impose something on someone,” “to cause someone to lay down” or “to direct or turn someone in any direction.” So the Lord will make Nineveh or will turn Nineveh in a particular direction. Well, let us go on. We will find out what that means. “Nineveh” is Strong's 5210, and Nineveh is the name of an ancient city in Assyria. Now in Jeph- -- Zephaniah 2, Zephaniah 2 just spoke about Assyria, and we found that the spiritual interpretation or the spiritual understanding of Assyria was the footprint of some spirit, and we found out that the footprint of Assyria is -- well, when the Scripture speaks about the footprint with regard to Assyria, it is speaking about the image which is this world system, the image which is this world system, which is so real to us, which has the strength to restrain us. The materials of this world can be made to build buildings that would jail people where it would be impossible for them to get out.

And we found this morning that when we ascend in our mind, when our mind is displaced from the carnal mind into the Christ mind, the iron and the stone and the other materials of this world that would be considered escape-proof would be nothing unto us; we would pass right through them. We are told that when Peter was sprung from jail by the angel, that the chains -- does the Scripture not say the chains fell off of the gates and that the locks just feel open supernaturally? I suggest to you, brethren, if -- I do not think I may -- you may have not heard this from me before, but, in my opinion, an angel did not come from the outside to liberate Peter. The angel came from -- anybody?

[?Within?].

Within. The angel was the Christ which was dwelling within the man Peter, and he arose to his fullest power of ascendancy, and because Peter’s mind ascended into a high place in Christ, his whole physical body was able to pass through the bars of the jail.

Now let me give you something to think about, brethren. Those chains, those physical chains made out of iron, may not have actually fallen off of the gate. This may be the Scripture’s way of expressing the spiritual fact that Peter ascended to a high place in his mind, that his mind was displaced to such a height that the rules of this world no longer had any power over his flesh and that Peter merely passed through the chained, barred doors because of the displacement of his mind which affected the molecular structure of his body. Can you hear it? He merely passed through the gates. He passed through the bars. He passed through the chains, and the Scripture says the chains fell off.

So if you are a carnal person, you can comprehend that: The chains fell off. But if you are a carnal person, you might not be able to comprehend that Peter, who was a natural man who recently was having an argument with the Jews -- I believe, was it in Galatia? Forgive me, I am weak on the letter, where he was having an argument with the Jews when Paul came to see him, that that same man Peter who, even after he had ascended to apostleship, still had carnal moments, that that same apostle had the spiritual authority to pass through cement and iron bars. Why? Because his mind ascended and was displaced into another realm and that the condition of his mind affected the molecular structure of his body. Can you hear it? It is very exciting. I am burning up with the heat. [AUDIO CUTS OUT]

Zephaniah, Chapter 2. We are on verse 13, the second half. “And Jehovah will make Nineveh a desolation.”

We are speaking about Nineveh; she is an ancient city of Assyria, and we have already established that the deep, spiritual meaning of Assyria is that it is this world system, this fallen world system which is in the image of Satan. And Nineveh is a city within Assyria, so let me suggest to you that, if Assyria typifies the world system, the physical, visible world system, that the city within the physical world system is speaking about the fallen dead soul. Now, remember, our physical body is a part of this physical world system, and the city dwelling within this body is the fallen dead soul. So I suggest to you that the ancient city of the image of this world system is the fallen soul, so let us try and put this together.

“And Jehovah will make this dead soul a desolation.” The Hebrew word translated “desolation,” Strong's 8077; Strong says this word can be translated “astonishment.” An astonishment -- I looked up the word “astonishment”; I found out that it can mean “shock” because I do not know about you, but I do not know what astonishment means. We find the word astonishment used frequently in the Old Testament, and I do not know what it means, how you can use the word astonishment with regard to this deep prophecy, but shock I can understand.

Now Webster says that shock is a sudden and -- or can be caused by a sudden and violent blow or impact. A shock can be caused by a collision, a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind. Shock does not have to be only to your physical flesh. It can be a shock to your mind; it can be a shock to your emotions or a shock to your sensibilities. Shock will result in the collapse of your circulator system. Shock can be caused by severe injury, blood loss or a disease. The physiological effect produced -- now shock is the effect in your body, the physiological effect produced, check this out, by the passage of an electric current through the body. And the electric current typifies what? We talked about it this morning. Electric current typifies --

[INAUDIBLE] [?the Spirit?].

-- the Spirit, amen. The Spirit is like an electric shock, so, brethren, when the Spirit of Christ penetrates your fallen soul or your physical body, it is shocking your body. We were talking about it this morning. That is why the Lord is intensifying the measure of the vibration of his Spirit little by little because, if he gives us too much too soon, he will kill us.

Do you know that if you start out in a tub of lukewarm water and you slowly heat the water, your body would be able to tolerate a much higher degree of w- -- a much hotter degree of water than if you were to jump into it when it was already heated? Why? Because your body acclimates to changing temperatures, and you tend to not even notice the change is occurring, and I am suggesting to you that this word “astonishment” -- the Hebrew word translated “astonishment,” which can also mean “shock,” is speaking about the effect on the physical body and on the carnal mind, more so on the carnal mind, that a human being feels when Christ and the Spirit of Christ invades that person. It is like an electric shock. The fire of Christ, the lake of fire we might say, is an electric fire.

I have one more definition for you: Shock results in strong internal stresses; that is in your emotions and in your mind. And shock also means -- a synonym for shock is “to paralyze.” Does that sound familiar? I have been using that word, that, in full stature, the carnal mind will be paralyzed. I have been saying that for quite a while. I want to suggest to you that the attack of Christ upon our carnal mind will have such a violent result as to totally paralyze our carnal mind, and at that event, at that moment, that Christ -- that the warfare that Christ is waging against our carnal mind is so effective that it paralyzes our carnal mind, that carnal mind shall be brain-dead, and we shall stand up in full stature, the first stage of the resurrection.

Webster says that to paralyze i- -- means “to shock so completely as to render one temporarily helpless.” That excites me. As I showed you on the board this morning, when the Spirit of Christ, which is our Lord Jesus Christ in a mature form, penetrates through our carnal mind, the shock of this penetration to the carnal mind will render her completely paralyzed so that Christ Jesus, the Christ being formed in you, can pass through also. Do you hear this? This is incredible; it is incredibly glorious. The problem is that, while Christ is in the process of shocking our carnal mind into a state of paralysis, we are joined to our carnal mind, and we are experiencing the tremors. We are experiencing the earthquakes; we are experiencing the shocks. That is why the tribulation; that is why all the trouble preceding our deliverance because the carnal mind must be paralyzed for us to escape from her grips. The only problem is she is joined to our soul, and we feel everything that she is feeling.

So we are dealing with the phrase, “And Jehovah will make Nineveh,” the fallen soul, “a desolation.” I suggest to you Jehovah is going to shock Nineveh, that fallen soul; he is going to shock her into paralysis. Now let us go back to the word “will make” for a minute. “And Jehovah will make Nineveh.” I suggest to you, “Jehovah will turn Nineveh in the direction of.” Now Nineveh is the dead soul; she is going to be raised from the dead. So the translation of the Hebrew word translated “will make,” we are going to use “will turn,” “will turn the dead soul in the direction of Christ,” because right now our dead soul is a harlot. She is in the direction of wh- -- she is in whose direction? Who is she looking to?

[INAUDIBLE]

She is looking to Satan and the carnal mind. She is completely enamored with him; she is completely possessed of him; she cannot take her eyes off of him. He is her husband, and he is all -- and she -- well, she is -- all that our soul can see is carnal mind and Satan; she cannot see anything else. So Jehovah is going to turn our soul, who is a harlot in this hour. She is the true, adulterous woman. Our soul is the true, adulterous woman of which that adulterous woman who Jesus healed was a type. We are the true adulterous woman, unfaithful to God, and Jehovah is going to turn us in another direction.

He is going to write on our soul, just like Jesus wrote on the soul of that adulterous woman, and is going to give us a new nature. When Jehovah writes on our soul, we shall be turned towards Christ, away from the carnal mind and towards Christ, and our nature shall be changed. And we -- our desire shall no longer be towards Satan. Remember that our fallen soul’s desire for the carnal mind and Satan is a part of the curse that God pronounced upon the woman. He said, “And your desire shall be unto your husband, Satan.” So when the Scripture says the Lord Jesus Christ shall turn the direction of our soul towards Christ, brethren, I suggest to you this is a manifestation of the breaking of the curse. Hallelujah. Can you hear it? God cursed the woman and said, “Your desire shall be towards Satan,” and the prophecy or the promise of God through the prophet Zephaniah is that I will turn this harlot away from Satan, towards Christ. It is the promise of the breaking of the curse. Glory to God.

Now remember that the carnal mind is a part of the fallen soul, so when the Lord prophesies to the soul, he is also prophesying to the carnal mind. Glory to God.

Let me read you my note. I probably covered all this, but let me read it to you. I have described the experience known as full stature as the paralyzing of the carnal mind. Full stature occurs when the Spirit of Christ pierces through the carnal mind, paralyzing her, and appears in front of her. The Spirit of Christ can be likened to an electric current. This is the first stage of the resurrection. The circumcision without hands occurs when the blood or the conscious mind of Christ pierces through the carnal mind and clots on her surface, sealing her over. The mind of Christ can but likened to blood. This is the second stage of the resurrection. The crucifixion of Christ occurs when the Spirit of Christ and the mind of Christ, or we can say Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus together, from their position on top of the carnal mind, turn back towards her and pierce through her a third time, forever joining the two minds and making, of the twain, one new man. OK.

Praise the Lord. So we are dealing with the phrase, “And will make Nineveh a desolation.” We are translating “will make,” “to impose something upon,” and that which the Lord is imposing upon the soul, I suggest to you, is paralysis. “And Jehovah will impose upon the dead soul a paralysis.” “And Jehovah will impose upon the dead soul paralysis.” Reading in the King James, “And will make Nineveh a desolation.” “And will make,” translated, “And will impose Nineveh, the dead soul, a desolation,” paralysis, “and Jehovah will impose paralysis upon the dead soul.” Glory to God. And I suggest to you that it the first stage of the resurrection.

Continuing with the last phrase in Zephaniah 2:13, “Dry like a wilderness.”

The Hebrew word translated “dry” is Strong's 6723, and it means “arid desert land.” The Hebrew word translated “wilderness” is Strong's 4057, and it means “a sterile, sandy country.” It can also be translated “mouth” or “tongue.” So we are still talking about Nineveh, which we have established is the dead soul, and Jehovah is saying he is going to make her dry like a wilderness; he is going to make her a desert which is sterile and sandy.

And I want to suggest to you that the reason this Hebrew word translated “wilderness” can also be translated “mouth” or “tongue” is that the mouth and/or the tongue is the organ through which the carnal mind expresses itself. Now a desert land, a dry desert, means that that part of the mind of the flesh, which is liquid, has been dried up. And is that not a judgment that God has prophesied over Satan, to dry up her sea? So we have a carnal mind which has Satan as her unconscious mind, and when the Lord Jesus Christ comes along and dries up the salt sea, we find a carnal mind which is without power because the spiritual power of the carnal mind is in Satan. Amen? Can you hear that? OK.

So we see judgment being pronounced upon the dead soul, and Jehovah will impose paralysis upon the dead soul and dry her out. He is going to dry up her unconscious mind, which is Satan, and make her like a wilderness. He is going to make her sterile. He is going to strip from her, her ability to produce offspring. Now if Satan, who is in the role of the male spirit, is dried up and evaporated without any male spirit, OK, the carnal mind, OK, will no longer be able to produce fruit. Now this is very unclear, brethren, but what -- I am going to just let you have it. I am really stumbling right now. What I suggest to you this is saying is that, when the salt sea is dried up, when Satan dies, OK, Satan is going to release the human spirit, and the carnal mind will dissolve. So what the Scripture is saying here, it is talking about that which is left after the carnal mind is pulled apart. I just said dissolve; I should say pulled apart. The salt sea is evaporated, and the carnal mind is pulled apart; we had this in prior verses. And that which is left is the human spirit.

So when the Scripture says he is going to make her sterile, he is saying to the human spirit I am going to hinder your ability to produce the carnal mind. And the way I am going to hinder your ability to produce the carnal mind is that I am going to dry up the male spirit, and I am going to pluck apart your carnal mind, and I am going to leave a human spirit that has no husband. And therefore you shall be rendered sterile; your ability to produce the carnal mind is going to be destroyed. Did I make that clear? Are you following me? I am up against a real heavy wall today. You do not know what I said? OK. You understand what I said? OK. Very heavy. Well, I am up against something. Maybe I should stop and pray. Let me just stop and pray.

[INAUDIBLE]

OK. Glory to God. So that -- Jehovah is saying that he will make the dead soul like a wilderness. He is going to make her sterile; he is going to cut off her ability to produce the carnal mind because the carnal mind is that mind which is born of the flesh, speaking about the dead soul. The flesh is the dead soul, and you may recall she has brought forth a mind of herself, the fruit of her incestuous homosexuality. The mind in the creation is supposed to be the product of the Spirit of the Father and the l- -- and the soul that God made. And in that event, when the Father is spirit and the mother is male, the offspring is spirit and male. But what happened is that the soul brought forth a mind of herself and that that mind is called the carnal mind; it is a product of incest f- -- the coming together of two different parts of the soul. That is the incest: soul to soul. And the mind that was born into the creation is not spirit but flesh because that which is born of the flesh, brethren, is flesh, and when the mind in the soul is flesh, the soul dies.

So God’s answer to this dead soul -- and if you recall, as we have been going through Zephaniah, there was even one verse where the Lord indicts the living soul. He says, oh, you dead soul, this is how I am going to deal with you. You are dead because your husband is Satan, and I am going to dry up Satan’s sea, and I am going to pluck apart your carnal mind. And when the human spirit stands alone without a husband, she shall be sterile; she shall be a desert because there will be no spiritual life joined to her, no male spirit joined to her. So she will be a desert; she will be sterile because she cannot produce fruit without someone in the male spirit role or without a male spirit.

And on top of all that, we find this marvelous Hebrew language, which is specifically designed to express spiritual truth, telling us that the same Hebrew word translated “wilderness” can also be translated “tongue” or “mouth.” And I suggest to you that the implication there is that this soul, whose spirit has been dried up, Satan, and whose carnal mind has been [?blucked?] -- plucked apart, will be rendered incapable of being that fiery tongue that James speaks about. She will be incapable of starting fires with her speech, of killing with her speech. The mouth and the tongue will die to her function as being an outlet for the expression of spiritual, criminal words.

Satan and the carnal mind are spiritual criminals; the words that they speak produce death. They come forth from death, and they produce death in others. So God’s answer to the problem of the dead soul is to dry up the male or the one acting as a male spirit, to pluck apart the carnal mind and to render that human spirit sterile so that the soul can no longer be misused by criminal spirits, and the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and turn into a dry, sterile tongue, dry without a male spirit, sterile without a mind, and still, nevertheless, an organ of speech. And this is a great mystery because, if you do not have this revelation, you would never know that what I just read to you is saying that the Lord is going to strip the human spirit of the male spirit, which is her husband, and of her offspring and render her by herself. If you can hear it, hear it. Praise God.

And the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and turn into a dry, sterile tongue. Please note -- well, first of all, let us go back to the original King James. “And Jehovah will make Nineveh a desolation and dry like a wilderness,” so we can repeat that word “will make.” We can say, “And Jehovah will make Nineveh a desolation, and Jehovah will make Nineveh dry like a wilderness.”

So please note that we are going to choose two different translations of the Hebrew word translated “will make,” one translation to go with Nineveh being made a desolation and another translation to go with Nineveh being made dry like a wilderness. We are going to use the definition of that Hebrew word translated “to make,” “to impose something on someone” with regard to the noun “desolation.” “And Jehovah shall impose paralysis upon the carnal mind,” but we are using the definition “to turn in any direction” with regard to the phrase “dry like a wilderness.” And Jehovah will turn the carnal mind into a dry, sterile member, which controls the tongue.

Please note truth fallen soul is rendered sterile. She shall no longer be pregnant with the carnal mind and her demons. Remember that humanity is still in utero; she has not been fully born yet; the carnal mind is in utero.

All right, going on with [AUDIO CUTS OUT] -slation. Amplified translation of the second half of Zephaniah 2:13, “And the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and silent.”

Alternate Translation of Zephaniah, Chapter 2, the whole of verse 13. Please note that I have reversed the first and second phrases. I have put the second phrase first. “And Jehovah shall turn away Satan’s authority, and the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and silent, and this world system shall vanish.” OK.

In case I did not make it clear, I took the phrase “and the carnal mind shall turn into a dry, sterile tongue,” and I changed that to “the carnal mind shall be silenced.” “And the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and silent.” And the whole verse is, “And he shall turn away Satan’s authority, and the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and silent, and this world system shall vanish.”

Continuing with Zephaniah 2:14, “And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work.”

Beginning with the first third of Zephaniah 2:14, “And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations.”

“Flocks” is Strong's 5739; please note that this word is plural.

I give you, as a reference, John 10:16, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

Jesus speaks about folds. Of course, you may recall from our study of Jesus in the Book of John that the Greek word translated “fold” can -- means “flock”; it can be translated “flock.” And you may recall from that recent message that we just did last week that the two flocks are as follows: The one flock Jesus is speaking about is the group of Christians in whom he is dwelling as the imparted anointing, the group of Christians who have a c- -- had an intimate experience with Christ, those Christians who know him intimately, who have had their spirit begin to be joined to his Spirit. And the second flock are those people who have faith in Jesus Christ but have not experienced intimacy with him.

Now just to refresh you, let me go back and tell you that it is possible, we find out in Chapter 10 of the Book of John, to have the life of God within us but not being joined to us. Those of us who have the life of God within us but not joined to us are those which have received the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the life of God. He can be in us, flowing through us, but have not yet penetrated our human spirit. So there is a difference between having life in us and partaking of that life.

Jesus speaks of only two flocks: One flock are those believers to whom his Spirit has engrafted. The first flock are those who are partaking of or experiencing the intimacy of his life. And the second flock are people who have faith in his word and his -- and in his ability to deliver them, but their spirit has not engrafted to his Spirit. OK.

“And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her,” so the -- both flocks shall lie down, those that have received the engrafted word and those who have not received it. “To lie down,” Strong's 7257, means “to lie” -- it is speaking about four-legged animals, and it means “to lie on their breasts with their feets [sic] under” -- with their feets -- “with their feet under them.” What did I do with my pen? Boy, there is a lot of confusion --

[CROSSTALK]

-- here tonight. It is my hand, thanks. I just rebuke this confusion tonight. Glory to God. OK.

So I suggest to you the implication of this Hebrew word translated “lie down” is that the animals feel safe because what happens when an animal feels threatened? If a fire comes into the camp, they jump up onto their feet. For an animal to be lying down with his legs tucked underneath him, it means there is peace in his heart. He do not feel threatened; he does not perceive any danger; he does not perceive the necessity of being ready to run at any moment. So we see a promise from Jehovah that he has two flocks and that both of those flocks shall lie down in the midst of her. Well, what does that mean? On the surface it means that she is going to be lying down in the midst of the city.

Well, let us get the spiritual meaning of this. The Hebrew word translated “midst of” is Strong's 8432, and this word means “the middle of a thing,” and it is so called from its being divided. The word is talking about something that was divided. And what is it that is being divided? What is it that is being plucked apart? The carnal mind is being plucked apart; it is being divided; it is being split right down the middle. And as we said in the prior verse, that which remains is the human spirit. So I am suggesting to you that the spiritual implication here is that both of Jesus’ flocks are going to lie down in peace because the human spirit, I suggest to you, will now be joined to Christ.

You have to pray about this. If you cannot receive it, it is OK. It is not obvious in the Scripture, but in the prior verse we saw the salt sea was dried up. We saw that the carnal mind was paralyzed and rendered silent and that the human spirit was isolated without a male spirit and rendered sterile. And I am suggesting to you that the following verse, verse 14, is speaking about the safety which comes when Christ joins to that isolated human spirit. There is no way that we could have peace and safety, brethren, outside of being attached to Christ, but you would have to know that to understand what the prophet is saying. There is no peace. They are all saying peace, peace, but there is no peace outside of union with Christ. So for the flocks to lie down in peace, I suggest to you that isolated human spirit must now be joined with Christ. If you can hear it, hear it.

The -- “and flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nation.” Oh, one more comment I do have here for you, that the significance of the flocks of God lying down and no longer having to use their legs is implying the cessation of labor, that when we are joined to Christ, we will no longer have to labor for safety. And as I was working up these notes, I felt the Lord was telling me that this word “peace” -- is that the -- this word “lie” -- translated “lie down,” which means the animals will have their legs tucked under them, can be likened to the bird who starts to fly in the heavenlies. And some birds draw their legs up, just like an airplane draws the wheels up when it lifts off the ground, so another witness to the fact that this word translated “lie down” is indicating that the human spirit must now be joined to Christ is the concept that, when we are joined to Christ, there will be no more labor. Our needs will be met without labor, and therefore we will not even need our legs because we will be spiritually provided for. If you can hear it, hear it.

“And flocks shall lie down” -- “And the two flocks shall lie down in the midst of this dead soul, all the beasts of the nations.” The Hebrew word translated “all” means “whole”; it is speaking about the whole nation of beasts, I suggest to you, not all the beasts of the nations but the whole nation of beasts. And, brethren, the beast is the carnal mind; we are the beast of Revelation. The beast is the carnal mind, and humanity, in this hour, is a nation of beasts, and the Scripture says that the whole nation of beasts shall lie down in safety because that human spirit is now joined to the Christ.

The whole nation of beasts, OK, whose mind was carnal, had to be on their feet laboring and being ready to run to protect themselves when that mind was carnal. But now the mind in the beast is alive, and that mind is Christ, and they can lie down in the midst of their own animal nature, OK, and rest because the mind is Christ. Their husband is joined to them; their protector is joined to the soul. The soul is a beast, and this soul, which was dead but is now alive because the mind is Christ, can rest. She does not have to protect herself anymore; she has a protector.

And I want to tell you that this principle is demonstrated in human beings. I know people right now who are constantly on guard, constantly looking to defend themselves, constantly look to protect themselves because their childhood experience was such that the parental authority, the caretakers that God assigned to them, did not function as caretakers. And these young children were so abused -- and this is a form of abuse, although it is not willful abuse. If you have an immature caretaker that is not qualified or capable of taking care of the children, it is not willful abuse, but their effect upon the child is abuse.

So the child who has been emotionally abused because the caretakers have not functioned as a caretaker becomes an adult who is continuously trying to care for themself [sic] and frightened of, non-trusting of and sometimes incapable of submitting to the authority that God places over them because they are still living out of their childhood experience which is saying to them the caretaker is incapable of taking care of me, therefore I will rebel against their authority and take care of myself because I do not believe that they could do the job. My father did not take care of me when I was small; my mother did not take care of me when I was small. And I do not care how capable my husband is or how capable my pastor is; I do not care. Something in the back of my brain keeps telling me that they are simply not capable of protecting me in the areas of their God-ordained authority.

And when we have a human being that has this kind of a tape running in the back of their mind, as I just described, no matter how capable the authority God has placed over them is, they will perceive that authority as incompetent, and their response to that authority, invariably, will be perceived as rebellion against authority because, in fact, it is rebellion against authority, but God knows, and God understands that the reason that this spiritual problem has arisen in you is because you were abused as a child in that the caretakers assigned to you failed to adequately protect you and have put a wound in your soul that has not erased even though you are now an adult, and that this wound -- you could call it a curse if you want to -- is forcing you into an attitude of rebellion, as opposed to an attitude of submission, and the root under that is absolute terror that you will be abused again.

So the Scripture says the whole nation of beasts shall lie down without fear and without a desire or a sensation of a need to protect themselves because Christ will be in the midst of them, their true husband, and Christ will be protecting them. And their legs can, therefore, be tucked underneath them; they will no longer have to be on their feet all the time, ready to run because they know that if there is ever a need to run, that Christ will sound the alarm way in advance. And there probably will never, ever be a need to run again because Christ, the lion of Judah, will go out and destroy the enemy [AUDIO CUTS OUT]

Let me remind you that the King James says “all the beasts of the nations,” and I turned it around and I made it “the na-” -- “the whole nation of beasts.” I could do that because the Hebrew clearly shows that the Hebrew word translated “nations” is singular; it is clearly singular, one nation. And I therefore reversed the King James translation from “all the beasts of the nations” to “all” -- that can legitimately be translated “the whole,” singular, “nation of the beasts,” “the whole nation of beasts.” That is all the human beings, brethren, “shall lie down and no longer be in a ready, alert condition because Christ shall be their mind.” Glory to God.

I have a comment for you with regard to the whole of both flocks. Romans 9:6 says, “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” So everybody in the Christian church is not engaged in an intimate relationship with the Lord, and there are many people, brethren, in the world -- those of us here know it, I am sure. They never go to church, but they do have faith in Jesus Christ. They do not -- they are not living like a good Pharisee. They are not doing what we might think they should be doing, but somewhere, somehow, in the deepest recesses of their heart, they have faith in God, and Jesus knows it, and he is going to take them too. Now they cannot go in that condition; he has to build them in Christ.

But when Jesus takes you, whoever you are, he takes you right where you are. If you are a carnal person but Jesus perceives that you have the faith to go all the way with him, he will take you in your carnality. If you are a religious person, he will take you in the midst of your religious life. If you are a devoted believer attending four services a week in a meeting like this and your heart is right, he will take you too; but if you are attended four services a week like this and your heart is not right, he will not take you. That is the mystery and the glory of Christ. That is why we are going to see prostitutes and alcoholics coming into the kingdom before many Pharisees, because Christ is going after man who has a heart which is after him, and he is not looking at your external trappings, and we shall have many surprised people in that day.

So we see that all Israel is not Israel. Romans 11:25 says, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Verse 26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written” -- well, I will not quote that part. “All Israel shall be saved,” the Israel which comes out of the church and the Israel which comes out of the people who are not in the church. That part of Israel which is pa- -- which is currently engaging in intimacy with Christ, and that Israel, many of which who may not even know they are members of Israel but are of Israel or declared to be members of Israel by Christ himself because of the faith that he perceives in their heart.

But just because you go to church every Sunday, even if you are in a ministry like this, it does not guarantee that you are of Israel, but the condition of your heart determines whether or not you are of Israel.

Now do not listen to this word and walk in fear, but run yourself before the Lord and say, Father, if there is anything in me that, by any reason, is rendering me outside of Israel, Lord, please circumcise my heart now and bring me in before it is too late. If you are too hardened to pray that prayer, if you are so sure in the pride of your own mind, well, you may be of Israel, but you may not be of Israel. And if you will not pray the prayer, something is wrong, so I sh- -- strongly suggest that you pray the prayer. Hallelujah.

“And the flocks -- the two flocks, the whole nation of living animals,” which consists of two flocks, “shall be delivered from an existence of physical labor,” and I get that existence of physical labor from the beasts that are lying in peace with their legs tucked underneath them, and that is the first third or fourth. You are going to have to forgive me. I was rushing with these notes, and they are really not in the best condition, and I -- offhand, I do not know whether I broke this verse down into three or four parts.

But the first phrase of Zephaniah 2:14, Alternate Translation, “And the flocks -- and the two flocks, the whole nation of living animals, shall be delivered from an existence of physical labor.”

Going on, “Both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it.”

“Cormorant”; the interlinear says that this is speaking about the pelican; it is Strong's 6893, describing a bird found in the marshes and inhabiting deserts. It is so called from its habitual vomiting. And I suggest to you that vomiting is a characteristic of the Christian who is getting deliverance, still getting deliverance, OK. And we know that deliverance is available to people whose human spirit has not yet engrafted to the Holy Spirit, so I suggest to you that this word describing this bird, the cormorant or the pelican, is speaking about the Christian who has the imputed anointing, who is still undefensed in that the armor of light has not been erected around him. We are talking about the Christian whose spirit is not yet engrafted to Christ.

And many people, and I was one of them, needed a season of what I call old order deliverance where they vomit out and they expel unclean spirits in an effort or an attempt to prepare their soul for the engrafted word. It was necessary for me. I spent years getting my soul and my spirit cleansed before I received the engrafted word. And during that time, I had an imputed anointing, and God honored my faith, and he planted the seed of his Son in me.

“Both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels.” “Bittern,” Strong's 7090, is “a porcupine.” A porcupine, I suggest to you, is defensed or armored, and I suggest to you further, it is describing the Christian with the imparted anointing. “Both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it,” OK. The word -- the Hebrew word translated “lodge” is Strong's 3885; it means “to pass the night,” and the night, I suggest to you, is speaking about the age or the time period over which Satan has authority; it is speaking about this spiritual age that exists down here in Hell.

So they shall pass -- so we see those with the imputed anointing and those with the imparted anointing; both flocks shall pass through this age over which Satan has authority “in the upper lintels of it.” “Upper lintels,” Strong's 3730, and it is speaking about columns. I chose to take the root words of this Hebrew word translated “columns.” It can either -- it -- translated “lintels”; it means, like, the columns of a temple, and, of course, we are columns in the temple. But the word is coming from two root words, one meaning to cover and the other meaning to crown. And I have taken those two root words which are put together to make a word which means a column in a temple, and I suggest to you that the soul is covered by Christ and that the human spirit is crowned.

Let me review for those of you who do not remember our teaching in the Book of Revelation, that the crown that we are receiving -- Jesus keeps saying you shall receive a crown of life. That crown that we are receiving is the glory which comes upon us when Christ is woven together with our human spirit, and the crown mentioned in the Book of Revelation by Jesus, continuously, is not speaking about the European crown, which you would think of as a gold grown with spikes on it and jewels. And it -- if you check it out, it is speaking about the Greek crown, a crown similar to what Jesus -- was put on his head as an expression of mockery just before his crucifixion, a crown which is a weaving together of branches. That is what was put on Jesus’ head, and that is called a Greek crown, OK. And so the crown is the weaving together of the Christ with the human spirit, and that is -- I suggest to you the meaning -- the spiritual meaning of this word translated “upper lintels” from the words “to cover and crown.” Christ covers the soul and crowns or weaves himself together with Christ.

And these English words “of it,” I did not see them in the Hebrew at all. “Both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels.” Let me see what -- well, I took a few more words. Both the unpurified and the defensed Christian shall pass through the night or shall pass through this age which is ruled over by Satan.

“Their voice shall sing in the windows.” The Hebrew word translated “voice” is Strong's 6963, and it is specifically masculine. I suggest to you that it is speaking about the voice of God. “And a voice shall sing.” “Shall sing,” 7891; this word can -- it -- can and is used to describe the one sang about as we sing about Jesus continuously, and I also suggest to you that this concept of singing, the spiritual implication of singing, is preaching. The song that we sing when Christ is manifesting through us is his word; it is the song of his message to us and to humanity. Let me give you some witnesses.

Revelation 5:9, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book.” This is their song, OK. “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” I suggest to you further that music in the Scripture signifies spiritual power, so the music is the spiritual power, and the words of the song is the doctrine of Christ. If you can receive it, receive it.

A second witness, Revelation 14:3, “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.” So there is a song that only the redeemed sing, and I suggest to you that song is the doctrine of Christ.

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“Windows” -- “their voice shall sing in the windows.” Now I have a reference for you. I did not have time to dig it out, but I know there is a Scripture in the Song of Solomon where it talks about her lover looking out through the windows, and we did work up an Alternate Translation of that, and I did not have time to look for it. There is no doubt in my mind, there never has been, that Jesus, internalized in us, looks out through the windows of our eyes. And as I recall, when we worked up this translation, we found evidence; we found English words and Hebrew words indicating that a window is a passageway from one realm to the other. And we see that Christ -- or the soul- -- or the mind or the soul dwells inside this physical body. Spirit passes through the eyes. These eyes connect this physical world outside of us and the spiritual world inside of us.

And the word “window” is being used a lot in our, quote, “sophisticated society” today. It is being used by lawyers; it is being used by businessmen. Open a window. In other words, make a way to get into a different area. It is used in computers. It is speaking about an entranceway into an area that previously one had no access to.

“And a voice shall sing in the windows,” and I suggest to you that the windows -- the eyes are the windows of the soul. The eyes are the windows, and they are the entranceway to the soul, and I have therefore translated this phrase, “And Christ shall preach or sing out of the renewed souls,” or the renewed soul of man.

Alternate Translation, “Both the unpurified and the defensed Christian shall pass through the night,” or pass through this age which is ruled over by Satan. “Their soul shall be covered and their human spirits woven together with Christ, and he shall” -- who? “Christ shall preach out of their renewed soul.” Glory to God.

“Desolation shall be in the thresholds.” We are at the last phrase of verse 14. “Desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work.” “Desolation”; the interlinear says “ruin,” Strong's 2721, is speaking about “dryness which results from heat”; it is also speaking about “laying waste.” “Thresholds”; the interlinear says “door fills,” Strong's 5592, and the -- and Gesenius says this word can be translated “basin” or “bowl.”

Revelation 15 [?sevren?] -- 7, brethren, says, “And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials,” or seven golden bowls, “full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.” And I suggest to you that is -- this -- as way out as this may sound to you, that Zephaniah 2:14 is speaking about the bowls which contain the wrath of God. We see it more clearly in the Book of Revelation. And also in this verse, we find the Scripture speaking about the living beast, the nation of beasts. And we see in the f- -- in the Scriptures that I have chosen for you from the Book of Revelation, there is mention of the beast and of the bowls, and I suggest to you that this is -- Zephaniah 2:14 is a hidden message that we find a little more clearly, although not that clearly, in the Book of Revelation. So let me go a little further, and I will put the whole thing together for you.

“Desolation shall be in the thresholds.” Desolation, destruction, shall be in the bowls. The bowls or the vials are filled up with the wrath of God in Revelation, and Zephaniah says destruction shall be in the bowls. And who are the bowls that contain the wrath of God or the destroying wrath of God? Brethren, we are the bowls; we are the containers for the wrath of God. And when Christ is our mind and he becomes the sitting king and he is possessing our soul, we shall be filled up with the righteous wrath of God which shall be pure destruction to every soul which is made in the image of sin. But after the destruction, brethren, these men shall be raised up into the righteousness of Christ. That little addition that you never hear preached: Yes, the destruction is coming, but after the destruction, the resurrection. Hallelujah. Glory to God.

“Desolation in the thresholds,” destruction in the bowls, “for he shall” -- destruction shall be in the bowls, “for he shall uncover the cedar work.” The Hebrew word translated “uncover,” the interlinear says “to lay bare”; it is Strong's 6168, and it can be translated “to uncover pudenda.”

Let me remind you I never heard of this word “pudenda” before I started doing these deep studies. It seems to be a word used frequently by the Hebrew prophets. It is a nice way of saying the genitalia, more often male genitalia than female genitalia, but sometimes female genitalia. Now the genitalia of the soul, when it is dead, is female, and we are speaking about the carnal mind. She is the sexual parts, the spiritual sexual parts, of this soul. When the soul is alive, the sexual parts of the soul are male, and we are speaking about the Christ, OK. Now in this instance, remember, the word pudenda, it is -- it usually means male. The Lord is saying he is going to uncover the female genitalia of the soul, and I suggest to you that the Lord is speaking about the circumcision without hands. He is going to cut away the carnal mind so that the male sexuality of the soul can be made manifest. Let me remind you that the mind of Christ which is the male sexual organ of this soul is being formed underneath the carnal mind. The carnal mind must be circumcised or cut away so that the male strength of the soul can be revealed because in the revelation of the male strength of the soul is the resurrection of this dead soul. If you can hear it, hear it.

“Cedar work”; “he shall uncover the cedar work,” Strong's 731; it is a feminine word. I remind you that cedar is an incorruptible wood; it is a wood that does not rot. Cedar work does not rot. I believe it was the wood used in the tabernacle. I might be mistaken, but I know that cedar is a wood that will not rot when exposed to the elements, and I remind you that the soul is typify by wood, OK. The soul, to be cleansed, must be washed because it is made out of wood, and the spirit is purified by being put through the fire because the spirit is typified by metal.

So a wood which will not rot when exposed to the elements, I suggest to you, is a preserved wood, and it is speaking about the soul which has been made alive because the soul which -- whose mind is death, the dead soul, the wood of the dead soul corrupts. This body corrupts. As healthy as you could be, the day will come that it will corrupt and die. It is only when the mind and the soul is Christ that the soul is preserved and protected against the elements and the storms which are in the soul realm. So I suggest to you that the cedar wood is the preserved soul and that the Lord is saying in the -- by the prophet Zephaniah in Chapter 2, Verse 14, that, “he shall uncover the cedar work,” he is saying that he is going to expose the Christ. He is going to cut away all that is hindering the full flow of the Spirit of Christ. Hallelujah.

The bowls of the wrath of God shall uncover the spiritual sexual parts of the preserved soul. Brother, judgment shall result in the uncovering of the Christ. The judgments of God shall cut away the carnal mind and result in the uncovering or the revelation of the male sexual spiritual parts of this soul which will preserve her and make her flesh incorruptible.

The whole verse, Alternate Translation of Zephaniah 2:14, “And the flocks,” the two flocks, “the whole nation of the living animals shall be delivered from this existence of physical labor; both the unpurified and the defensed Christian shall pass through the night,” or pass through this age which is ruled over by Satan. “Their souls shall be covered, and their human spirits woven together with Christ, and he shall preach out of their renewed souls. The bowls of the wrath of God shall uncover the spiritual sexual parts of the preserved soul,” and we are speaking about Christ there.

Amplified translation, Zephaniah, Chapter 2 -- Chapter 22 [sic], Verse 14, “And the flocks of the whole nation,” or the two flocks of the whole nation of living animals, “both the unpurified and the defensed Christian shall pass through the time period over which Satan rules. And the bowls of the wrath of God shall uncover the spiritual sexual parts of the preserved soul, and Christ shall cover their souls and weave their human spirits together with his glorious spirit, and he shall preach out of their renewed souls.” That is the windows now. He is going to preach through their renewed souls, “and they shall be delivered from this existence of spiritual labor.” Hallelujah.

Continuing with Zephaniah 2:15, “This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.”

That sounds pretty serious, but those of you who were here this morning heard what the Lord is really saying; it is a marvelous promise, and I will show you how I got that Alternate Translation.

“This is the rejoicing city.” “Rejoicing”; the interlinear says “joyful”; it is Strong's 5947, and this word can also. It is translated “joyful,” but it can also be translated “insolent.”

As I have told you many times, the Hebrew language is a very unusual language. We have both negative and positive translations of almost every word, so we must, therefore, translate in accordance with the context of the whole verse. And I suggest to you that the Lord has clearly told us in the prior verses that this city is speaking about the dead soul, and death incurs or infers mourning. There is no joy in death, and I, therefore, have chosen the translation “insolent,” especially since we know that the overriding characteristic of the dead soul is what, anybody? Pride, and insolence is a manifestation of pride, so I give you two witnesses attesting to my choice.

“This is the rejoicing city”; this is the insolent dead soul, “that dwelt carelessly.” The Hebrew word translated “city” is Strong's 5892; it means “a small fortified place,” and I suggest to you it means the dead soul. “Dwelt”; the interlinear says the tense is present, “dwelling carelessly.” “Dwelling,” Strong's 3427, meaning “to be inhabiting”; this word can also be translated “to take for a wife,” and I suggest to you that this insolent, dead soul has been taken for a wife by Satan. And as we heard in an earlier verse, she is living in open adultery with absolutely no fear whatsoever of God, saying, I am, and there is none strong enough to judge my sin.

“Carelessly”; the interlinear translates it “confidently,” Strong's 983, and it means “without fear,” to live without fear of the consequences of her adultery. This insolent, dead soul is living confidently without fear of God, despite the fact that she is in adultery. She really believes that judgment will not fall. And is that not true of modern man? It is true of modern man; it is true of ancient man. He is always surprised when judgment falls. He just does not believe it is going to happen to him because judgment that comes from God is not swift. There could be a period of time between the commission of the sin and the execution of the judgment. Sometimes it can come in future generations. Because of that spiritual reality, carnal man is foolish, and his darkened mind really thinks there will be no just recompense for his sin.

This is the insolent city that is dwelling confidently or living in adultery confidently, that has said in her heart. “Heart” is Strong's 3824, and Gesenius says that this word clearly indicates “the soul life,” “the mode of thinking and acting,” “the middle,” “the interior.” I suggest to you that this dead soul is thinking out of her carnal mind because no one in their Christ mind would dwell in adultery without fear. Anyone in their Christ mind would fear God, would fear his judgment, would reverence him, would respect him, but this insolent soul is in her carnal mind, and she is thinking with her carnal mind.

And remember that Verse 14 speaks about being divided in the midst. At that time, we said it was the human spirit which was revealed when the carnal mind was divided in the midst, and here we see that the carnal mind is being described as being in the midst. And she is saying, “I am” -- she is say- -- she is taking the name of Jehovah. She is saying, “I am, and there is none besides me,” no one strong enough to judge me. Is that not what Leviathan says when we read about him in Job, Chapter 42? Something very close to that is told to us about Leviathan. No one, no natural man, can defeat him, and he is so insolent and proud that he thinks either -- neither can God or that God is not interested in defeating him.

Alternate Translation, the first third of Zephaniah 2:15, “This is the insolent dead soul who was existing in adultery without fear of God, whose carnal mind is saying I am God, and here is no one as great as I.”

Continuing with the second third of Zephaniah 2:15, “How is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!”

“She has become”; well, that is a form of the word “to be.” “A desolation,” Strong's 8047, means “waste place.” The Hebrew word translated “desolation” is from the same root -- this Hebrew word translated “desolation” in Verse 15 is from the same root as the word translated “desolate” in Verse 14 above. The shock that the dead soul has received has dried up her spiritual power. Remember that Eve is completely dissolved in Satan, so the drying up of her spiritual power renders her powerless.

I am sorry. I did not finish my note here. It was a bad morning. I do not really know what I wanted to say. Remember, Eve is completely dissolved in Satan, so the drying up of her spiritual power, we found out earlier, renders her sterile and in a condition of -- in a condition of s- -- undissolved salt, but also in a condition where she can be joined to the Spirit of Christ and dissolved in his crystal sea.

“How is she become a desolation.” “How is she” -- what a waste place she has become. What a dried up desert she has become, “a place for beasts to lie down in!” this Hebrew word translated “place” is Strong's 4769, and it is masculine. That means the place that she is lying down in or the resting place must be Christ. The place that she is resting in is the kingdom of God; it is the only male place. Christ is the only male. I suggest to you that this insolent dead soul, which existed by the spiritual power of Satan and which became a desert when Christ dried up Satan’s salt sea, has now been joined to Christ and become a living animal instead of a dead animal. She was a dead animal or a dead beast, and now she has become a living animal, which is the resting place for God.

And f- -- Matthew 8:20, “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

Now, remember, it is Christ’s job to behead the soul because the carnal mind is sitting on the throne of the soul. Christ has no place to rest his head because the soul which his Father has given him is occupied by an illegal queen. So if you ever wondered what Jesus was talking about, that is what he was talking about. He is waiting for the proper time to behead this soul of the carnal mind so that he can sit down and rest upon the throne that the Lord has given him to sit upon.

“How she has become a desolation,” how she has become a dried up waste place, a place or a m- -- “for beasts to lay down in,” a masculine resting place for the beast. The dead soul was a place of torment for the dead animal. The soul is an animal. When she is dead because the mind is carnal, this soul is not a resting place; it is a place of torment, and it is a place or a condition which requires us to be engaged in continuous labor. Let us take a natural example of this; we can use our flesh body as an example. When it is under Satan’s control, it can be used to torment us through physical and mental abuse or injury and substance or sexual abuse. But when this flesh body is under Christ’s control, it can be used to bless us with physical and mental creativity and all of the good things available to human beings down here in Hell.

This Hebrew word translated “beasts” in the phrase, “a place for beasts to lie down in,” is Strong's 2416, and it is specifically speaking about “a living thing.” It is speaking about the soul which has been quickened, the soul which has received life. And the English words “lie down in” are not in the Hebrew. We are dealing with the phrase, “how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!”

Alternate Translation, the second third of Zephaniah 2:15, “Look at how that dead soul, which was turned into a desert by the judgments of God,” OK, that is the bowls that were filled up with wrath. “Look at how that dead soul, which was turned into a desert by the judgments of God, has now become a living beast, which is God’s resting place.”

Look at this miracle: The soul was made a waste desert because of the judgments of God, but the Lord did not leave her in that condition. After he pulled her carnal mind apart, dried up the salt sea, put all kinds of judgment and trouble upon her, he then joined his life to her and raised her from the dead because the judgments of God are corrective, and they have purified her. And in her purified condition, she became qualified to be the bride of Christ.

Continuing with the third third of Zephaniah 2:15, “Every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.”

That sounds absolutely terrible, but this is what I found when I looked up all these words. “Every one,” means “the whole.” “That passeth by her,” 5674, is the translation of the word “passing.” It means “to pass over.” She is going to pass over, brethren, from death unto life. The whole shall pass over. Not everyone that passes by her, but the whole shall pass over.

The whole creation shall pass over; that includes the Jews, and that includes the black races, and that includes everybody that all you prejudiced portions of the church are saying will not receive of this salvation. It includes women; it includes children; it includes every ethnic background that you hate because of your prejudice. The whole creation shall pass over from death unto life. Repent of your pride. The hour of your deliverance is at hand. Repent of your pride, lest the Jews and the blacks and everyone else gets in and you are the one that is locked out. Do not be a fool; do not let your own pride destroy you.

Everyone, the whole, that passes over “shall hiss.” This Hebrew word translated “hiss” is Strong's 8319, and it means “to pipe.” Does that sound familiar to anybody, “to pipe”? Isaiah 5:26. I am going to give you two references whereby this Hebrew word translated “pipe” is used as a positive word indicating that the Lord is calling his people. Piping means to call. There is a negative translation of that is word, but I have two Old Testament witnesses showing you that it can be translated positively, and we are going to translate it positively.

Isaiah 5:26, “And he will lift up an ensign” -- the Lord Jesus Christ, Jehovah shall “lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and he will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.” He is going to call them.

Do you know, in Europe and possibly in parts of the Middle East -- I am not too sure about Africa. Yes, Africa too, definitely. Do you know that they will hiss at you when they want to call you? If they want to get your attention, they will go ss, ss. Did you know that? That is what they do. They do it in Africa. They do it in the Middle East. I think they do it in Europe too; I could be mistaken. But they definitely do it in Africa: They hiss at you. Now me, being a European, when I first heard it, it was offensive unto me, but when you find out that it is the culture, if it is the culture, it is the culture. That is what they do. It is not an offense unto anybody; it is the culture. They want your attention in Africa, sometimes they will snap their fingers at you. Now in Western culture, to have someone snap their fingers at you is an insult, but in Africa it is not an insult. That is their custom; that is what they do. They want your attention; they will snap their fingers at you, or they will hiss at you, and it means come here. I want you; I need you; I have something to say to you. If you are a waiter, I have an order for you.

The second witness of the Scripture using the Hebrew word translated “to hiss” positively is Zechariah 10:8. “I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.”

So we see the Hebrew word translated “hiss” used in direct connection with redemption. I have further have a New Testament witness for you. Matthew 11:16 -- 15 and 16, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this generation?” This is Jesus speaking. “But whereunto shall I liken this generation?” It is speaking about us today, the church and the church age. “It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellow children,” verse 17, “and saying, We have piped unto you.”

This verse always puzzled me: “We have piped unto you.” It is spiritual children calling to spiritual children, saying we have piped unto you. We have called you, “and ye have not danced.” You have not danced for joy because we called you. “We have mourned unto you, and you have not cried.” In other words, we spiritual children have given you instructions, and you have not followed those instructions. We have called you. You have not been happy at our call, and you have not expressed joy. We have told you to be sad, and neither have you obeyed us to be sad. You have ignored us. A large portion of the world ignores the church today, brethren.

If you need a witness, brethren, that we are spiritual children, check out Matthew 11:15 - 17. Jesus clearly said that this generation of the church age is made up of spiritual children calling unto other spiritual children to follow us, and the world is not following us. And we are mad at them because most of the people doing the calling do not believe they are spiritual children. They believe they are spiritual adults with all the answers, and the world knows that it is not true.

So those who are piping, those who are preaching this corrupt, fallen doctrine of hell and damnation, if you want to know why the world is not coming in response to your piping, it is because they know that you are making the sound of children and that you do not know what you are talking about. So neither can you give them joy, nor can you frighten them. Your preaching of hell and damnation has not frightened them. And they are ignoring you, and in some instances, they are hating you.

That is what verse 17 means. We have called you, and you have not danced. We have told you all about heaven and streets of gold and mansions, and you are not filled with joy. How come? Because we do not believe you. Well then we have turned around, and we have mourned unto you. We have told you about hell, but you are not sad. How come? Because we do not believe you. We do not believe your fantasies about heaven, nor do we believe your fantasies about hell.

And Jesus is further saying, brethren, the indication or the significance of the world not responding to your piping is that you are spiritual children who do not know what you are talking about and who are without a significant amount of spiritual power. You have some, but your spiritual power is only effective upon those people who have faith in Jesus Christ within themselves. Your spiritual power has no authority over rebellious non-believers who have rejected you. And everyone that you think you have prayed into the kingdom, the Lord has already called because he has found faith in their heart. And you have just helped to direct them in.

Brethren, the large part of this human race, which is filled with rebellion and pride and hatred for God, will not be attached to the Kingdom of God because of your preaching and your piping of this pipe-dream doctrine of heaven and hell. But this rebellious, proud, insolent soul shall be apprehended by the Kingdom of God when the body of Christ matures and when the level of spiritual power that is present in maturity is coupled with the true doctrine and the love of God and the righteousness, which enables the Sons to render the appropriate, called-for judgment, appears in the church.

Doctrine alone will not do it. Promises will not do it. Threats will not do it. Even the true doctrine alone will not do it.

This soul will not return unto her master without judgment. And judgment shall not be rendered in Christ without righteousness. And there is no righteousness in the soul today except for those Sons who are being raised up and who are being corrected by the Lord Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus wherever he is mature enough, who are in preparation to do this stupendous, monumental job of whipping the behinds of this soul and of a righteous spirit, which will bring forth righteousness in them also. And that is what Matthew 11:15 - 17 is speaking about.

I suggest to you it is the Lord who shall hiss and shake and not those passing over. Let me give you the Scripture again. We are back to Zephaniah 2:15. “Every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.” The King James translators have translated this third phrase of Zephaniah 2:15 to sound like it is the one that is passing by that is going to hiss and wag his hand.

But I suggest to you that the dead soul is passing over from death unto life and that it is the Lord who is hissing, calling her, and it is the Lord who is wagging his hand, who is shaking her, and that because he calls her and because he shakes her, she shall in fact pass over and that if the Lord does not call and if the Lord does not shake, this soul shall not pass over from death unto life.

Hallelujah. The Hebrew word translated wag means shake. It is translated shake in the Interlinear. It is Strong’s 5128. It means to be shaken.

Isaiah 19:1 says, “The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved” -- or shaken. That English word moved, it is the same Hebrew word that is translated wag or to shake: Strong’s 5218. “And the idols of Egypt shall be moved” -- or shaken -- “at his presence, and the heart of Egypt” -- the carnal mind -- “shall melt in the midst of it.”

Isaiah 24:20, “The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” I did not mark my notes, but I would imagine this “reel to and fro” must be the Hebrew word translated wag, Strong’s 5218. Glory to God.

And “every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.” This Hebrew word translated hand means hand. The people in whom God is appearing are his hands. His left hand is judgment, and his right hand is blessing. The Lord shall call, or pipe, for his people, and then he shall shake those that he calls. First he will call you; then he will judge you. And he is going to shake every sin out of you. And then you shall pass over from death unto life.

Alternate Translation, the third third of Zephaniah 2:15, “He shall call for them and purify them. And they shall pass over from death unto life.” I have amplified the word shake into purify because the shaking purifies. Judgment purifies.

Amplified translation, third third of Zephaniah 2:15, “He shall call for them and purify them. And the dead animal, which they are existing in, shall be made alive because the purification is in the renewing of their mind. And when their mind is carnal, they are dead. When their mind is renewed, and Christ becomes their sitting king, they shall be made alive. And the dead soul, or the dead beast, shall become a living soul or a living beast.”

Alternate Translation, the whole of Zephaniah 2:15, “This is the insolent, dead soul, who is existing in adultery without fear of God, whose carnal mind is saying, I am God, and there is no one as great as I. But look at how that dead soul, which was turned into a desert by the judgments of God, has now become a living beast, which is God’s resting place. He shall call for them and purify them. And the dead animal, which they are existing in, shall be made alive.”

Hallelujah. Recap, Zephaniah 2:11 - 15 -- I think it is 12-15. I think that is a mistake: 12-15.

“And he shall turn away Satan’s authority and the carnal mind shall become paralyzed and silent. And this world system shall vanish.

“And the flocks of the whole nation of living animals, both the unpurified and the [?defensed?] Christian, shall pass through the time period over which Satan rules. And the [?bowls?] of the wrath of God shall uncover the spiritual sexual parts of the preserved soul. And Christ shall cover their souls and weave their human spirits together with his glorious Spirit. And he shall preach out of their renewed souls, and they shall be delivered from this existence of physical labor.

“This is the insolent, dead soul, who is existing in adultery without fear of God, whose carnal mind is saying, I am God, and there is no one --